For the love of the dog... both given and received

Yesterday we said goodbye to 5 beautiful Brittany pups while 5 wonderful families said hello to them, and welcomed them into their hearts for the first day of the rest of these puppies lives to begin.  We are often asked how we feel on the day a puppy leaves ATB, when the final goodbye kiss is planted on their little muzzles, and one more exchange of puppy breath and human breath occurs between us.  I can share the truth of how happy we are for each pup, who are eage and ready to experience the adventure of life with the people who will love and care for them.  People who we have personally selected each puppy for. We can honestly share about the wonderful friendships that have developed over time as a result of this.  And we can smile and say it is all for the love of the dog, both given and received which is absolutely true.

It was an amazing day yesterday!  Beginning at 8 a.m. and going through until 4 p.m. our home was flooded with puppies and people.  It was wonderful!  Smiles and bright eyes were evident from new puppy owners of all ages.  Tails wagged, toys were shared, romps through the house, puppy barks and yup of  course a couple of minor accidents.  We have heard from most everyone this morning and the ride home and first night of pups has gone very well with little issues.  One pup slept all night long in their crate.  Another traveled to their new home in a crate and slept the whole way. There were a couple of unsure situations for the pups of course but all in all, excellent reports abound, making this heart glad.

John and I were pretty tired by the end of the day and with double the chores hanging over our heads decided to go out for dinner nearby (Big Daddys - my favorite!)  We enjoyed a prime rib dinner together, picked up more pellets for the puppies stove, and headed back home returning to ATB.  I enjoyed an extended playtime with the remaining pups who will say goodbye throughout this week and into next weekend.  It was interesting to watch how the dynamics of the 'pack' change.  There is not so much energy spent on vying for top dog, they actually seemed a lot calmer.  I was wondering how Sweet Pea would be as she's the only girl left now but she was absolutely content and she is clearly loved by her brothers... something I'd not noticed before.  The pups were outwardly affectionate with each other, visibly licking, pawing at each other!   They are more focused on me now and instead of worrying about what the other pups is doing, will wait for a pat, a hug, a kiss some kind of interaction from me.  And now it's important for me to spend one on one time with these pups so they begin to rely on humans for leadership, and for their behavior to be stamped with that impression instead of that of a canine.  What a nice litter of pups and as we leave 8 weeks behind and merge into the next 'season' of development a whole different perspective of their needs must be recognized.  At this age a young puppy, even if with other dogs for companionship, must be separated on a regular basis.  As you know we're keeping one pup, holding one back for future evaluation, and one is left yet waiting to confirm a serious inquiry.  It does not necessarily get easier now, even though there are 6 instead of 11 to care for. 

I am wandering away from my original intention of writing this morning which was to explain how I might feel emotionally about saying goodbye.  As I write, I realize there is no time to feel anything sad! Instead I am full of hope for many reasons  - today we'll get our Christmas tree, better late than never.  Christmas music is playing, the woodstove is keeping the house warm, snow is on the ground, the new pond has iced over and is beautiful, and so... I"m avoiding saying one thing...

I deeply miss the 5 puppies who left yesterday.  I believe Treasure does too.  We have gone through this together in many ways.  And I saw John shed a tear yesterday as he held Arnold close to him. I won't dwell on that here, there is simply no time.  A lot of people say they've had large litters before and they hope they'd never have that many again.   I say I would not have missed this for the world. The full time 24/7 job I've had over the past several months now takes a new direction.  I'm ready for it.  Although I will miss what we once had here with Treasure's first litter and all that it brought to our lives, we do have another future hopeful to enjoy.

 Are we where we want to be?  In many ways - it couldn't get any better.  In others, there are always doubts about decisions made, second guessing of one self.  But it doesn't matter.  I've realized we do what we love, and love what we do. Most of the time we get it right.  Sometimes we don't.  And the bonus in all of this - John will work with several of the pups again next summer when they come back for some bird training!  In the meantime... it is time to look to this Christmas (NOT HOLIDAY) season.   To remember the reason for this season is Jesus.  That wise men and women still seek Him.  And to acknowledge Christmas for what it is.  Tell people you miss hearing them say "Merry Christmas"!  And if you offend someone... simply apologize graciously.  I'm tired of political correctness, of people being afraid to speak about what matters to them most when it comes to their faith and beliefs.  Of schools banning any reference to Christmas, of towns being sued for nativity scenes. I feel sad for businesses where employess will be fired if they don't say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas.  It annoys me that even the Christmas card boxes now say Holiday Card.  Come on America.  Enough is enough!   So what does this have to do with  ATB?  Absolutely everything... it is who we are, always have been, and always hope to be.  Christians... !

Take care, God Bless and thank you for being such an important part of our lives.  Those who are new to ATB - we welcome you into our hearts too!  John, Ann and the crew